MYP Blog

Evolve: End Violence Against Animals!

Mauritius has been creating international headlines recently not for their beautiful beaches and sunny climate, but for some dark and dirty secrets coming to the surface, all of them concerning animal treatment. The shocking news that this “Paradise Island” is amongst the last ones to export live monkeys to laboratories all over the world has created international stir and caused animal loving visitors to even cancel their island holidays. Now, as the stormy waters have calmed down a bit, an even more shocking film has been put online, showing the practices at a MSAW (Mauritius Society for Animal Welfare) “shelter”.

The footage shows incredible cruelty towards dogs. During the few minutes of footage, dogs of any age, size and build, some wearing collars, are beaten, kicked, thrown about, hosed down with high-pressure water and killed forcefully by injection, even a shy and friendly mother with small puppies. There is nothing orderly about the scenes, no vet in sight, just a bunch of crude-looking hateful men doing their dirty task with gusto. The last pictures show a big pile of lifeless bodies – a blood-chilling sight

To make bad turn into worse, the concerned minister stated in the Mauritian press that this activity is being done for national interests. It seems that he and the government of Mauritius fail to understand is that this absolutely not the case. On the contrary: not only numerous Mauritians, but also expats living in Mauritius and certainly the tourists are crying out against that kind of cruelty. Manifestations have taken place and petitions against the Government’s policies have been signed by people from all over the world. Animal rights organisations have called to boycott Mauritius as a tourism destination as long as the hellish conditions are not eliminated.

Local experts fear that the situation might escalate and weaken tourism, one of the pillars of Mauritian economy. In the meantime, animal welfare organisations such as PAWS have offered training and assistance, as evidently a sensible sterilisation-programme has proven to yield better results. So what will the government do? Whatever the outcome, those concerned have better consult the laws, as meanwhile the whole world is watching and ready to act on behalf of Mauritius animals’ rights.

I am a Switzerland-born producer of holistic nature products and journalist, living in Mauritius since 15 years. Having lived in exotic places around the world, such as Tahiti, New Zealand and Hawaii, I am especially interested in islands, their fascinating nature and plant life. As a result, I constantly cook up stories from the neighbourhood as well as inspired recipes from all that great stuff growing in my bio-garden.